The invention relates to a lock for a necklace, bracelet or such ornament, which lock is provided with a carbine hook and an end eye capable of being hooked into the carbine hook, which carbine hook is provided with a hook portion and a locking portion swingably connected with the hook portion, which hook portion and locking portion, in a closed position of the locking portion, together form a carbine hook eye defining a substantially eye-shaped space, which locking portion, in an open position of this locking portion, extends at least partly into the above-mentioned eye-shaped space so that a passage is formed in the carbine hook eye, through which passage the end eye is movable to fix the end eye to the carbine hook.
Such a lock is described in, e.g., DE-A 195 03 814.
Although an end eye is not shown in the known publication, it is generally known that such an end eye is attached to the end, remote from the carbine hook, of the necklace or bracelet.
It is a drawback of the known carbine hook lock that the end eye can easily come loose from the carbine hook. E.g., when the locking force of the locking portion is no longer sufficient owing to wear, the locking portion can easily assume an open or partly open position under the influence of vibrations or forces exerted on the ornament. In such an open or partly open position, the end eye may come loose from the hook portion. Accordingly, a loss of the ornament is quite possible with the known lock.
To prevent this loss, it is known to arrange a so-called safety chain at the lock. Such a safety chain is provided with a second lock and forms, in a closed position, a second connection between the ends of the ornament. It is a drawback of this solution that putting on the ornament is more laborious because two locks must be opened and closed again, namely the carbine hook and the lock of the safety chain. It is another drawback of a safety chain that it spoils the appearance of the ornament.
It is a further drawback of the known lock that the end eye can freely move in the carbine hook eye. When wearing the ornament, the end eye and the carbine hook eye constantly move relative to each other. Since this movement takes place in a relatively small part of the hook portion of the carbine hook, wear in that part will develop rather soon. Such wear results in that the carbine hook must be replaced after a few years of use.
It is an object of the invention to provide a lock. for a necklace, bracelet or such ornament of the type described in the opening paragraph which does not have the above-described drawbacks.
To achieve this object, the lock is characterized according to the invention in that a safety element is fixed to the end eye, which safety element, in an operative position of the end eye relative to the carbine hook, abuts with an outer circumferential edge substantially against an inner circumferential edge of the hook portion and the locking portion directed to the eye-shaped space so that the locking portion cannot be brought into the open position, and which safety element, in a swung position of the end eye relative to the carbine hook, is moved out of the eye-shaped space so that the locking portion can be brought into the open position.
The safety element may be designed as, e.g., a ring, bush or cylindrical disk which is firmly attached to the outer circumferential edge of the end eye. In the operative position of the end eye, the safety element is more or less fittingly received in the eye-shaped space which is defined by the hook portion and the locking portion of the carbine hook. First, this ensures that the locking portion of the carbine hook cannot be brought into the open position. For in this open position the locking portion extends at least partly into the eye-shaped space, and since the safety element is located therein, it is impossible to bring the locking portion into the open position. A second advantage is that in the operative position of the end eye the end eye and the carbine hook can hardly move relative to each other because the safety element is more or less enclosed in the eye-shaped space. Wear owing to movement of the end eye relative to the carbine hook is therefore reduced to a minimum. Moreover, the safety element does not spoil the appearance of the ornament at all.
According to a further elaboration of the invention, the safety element may even be provided with an ornamental element, such as, e.g., an ornamental stone. Such an addition results in a lock embellished as compared to the known locks.
The swung position of the end eye relative to the carbine hookxe2x80x94in which swung position the safety element is moved out of the eye-shaped space so that the locking portion can be brought into the open positionxe2x80x94can only be assumed under normal conditions when the person wearing the ornament takes action.